Joakim Noah has stitches removed following shoulder surgery

Nine days after undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder, Joakim Noah had the stitches removed from his left shoulder.

Noah posted a photo, along with a message of support to his teammates to Instagram Thursday afternoon.

“I want to thank everybody for the love and support. Good luck to the homies in LA tonight. Stitches out. Still rockin my drop,” Noah wrote in the caption.

Chicago takes on the Lakers tonight in Los Angeles.

The Bulls big man is expected to miss the remainder of the season while he recovers from the injury, which he suffered during Chicago’s Jan. 15 loss against Dallas.

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A free agent at the end of this season, Noah said earlier this week that he hopes to return to the Bulls next season.

The 10-year NBA veteran averaged a career-low 4.3 points this season, his first coming off the bench since his second year in the league.

Stats via Basketball-Reference